15 August 2012
by andrew
Comments Off on some readings on open data
I’ve been thinking about open data a lot this summer. Partly this is because I have a longstanding interest in transparency and government information, so I’m kind of always thinking about that sort of thing, but also because I’ve been … Continue reading
2 July 2012
by andrew
Comments Off on “the library is itself their laboratory and museum”
From William Coolidge Lane, “The treatment of books according to the amount of their use” (1903): (emphasis in the original; I have added paragraph breaks for readability) The question then resolves itself into this: Can a scholar accomplish his work … Continue reading
26 January 2010
by andrew
Comments Off on reprintpost
I see via Henry at Crooked Timber that Nicholar Carr is coming out with a book expanding on his essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?“, which appeared in the Atlantic in 2008. Or so I’ve heard. I read the essay … Continue reading
16 January 2010
by andrew
2 Comments
I’m used to universities having a “main” library but I can’t tell which library here would be it. The two largest branches have people’s names attached to them. One is a “learning centre” while the other is a “library.” You … Continue reading
14 May 2009
by andrew
Comments Off on the shadow of money
14 May 2009
by andrew
Comments Off on recommended daily allowance
This Bill Moyers interview with Simon Johnson and Michael Perino about the Pecora Commission and its relevance for today is very very good, and anyone interested in the financial crisis who also has the slightest bit of interest in history … Continue reading
6 April 2009
by andrew
2 Comments
(From “The Times” in English Traits) On influence: The most conspicuous result of this talent is the “Times” newspaper. No power in England is more felt, and more feared, or more obeyed. What you read in the morning in that … Continue reading
31 March 2009
by andrew
Comments Off on markets just keep emerging
From that much-recommended Simon Johnson article on the financial crisis: The great wealth that the financial sector created and concentrated gave bankers enormous political weight—a weight not seen in the U.S. since the era of J.P. Morgan (the man). In … Continue reading
26 March 2009
by andrew
Comments Off on the structures of archival research
News of John Hope Franklin’s passing yesterday had me re-reading his 1988 Charles Homer Haskins Lecture (pdf). The Haskins Lectures are supposed to be autobiographical; Franklin’s makes me want to read his memoir. Particularly striking are his memories of doing … Continue reading
8 March 2009
by andrew
Comments Off on laws of science
Congressional Record, 2 May 2007, 4388-4391: PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have a parliamentary inquiry. The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentleman will state his parliamentary inquiry. Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Would it have been possible for the … Continue reading